Influence of Sulfuric Acid on the Performance of Ruthenium-based Catalysts in the Liquid-Phase Hydrogenation of Levulinic Acid to ?-Valerolactone.

ABSTRACT: The presence of biogenic or process-derived impurities poses a major problem on the efficient catalytic hydrogenation of biomass-derived levulinic acid to ?-valerolactone; hence, studies on their influence on catalyst stability are now required. Herein, the influence of sulfuric acid as feed impurity on the performance of Ru-based heterogeneous catalysts, including Ru/ZrO₂ and mono- and bimetallic Ru-on-carbon catalysts in dioxane as solvent, was investigated. The carbon-supported Ru catalysts proved to be very sensitive to minor amounts of sulfuric acid. In stark contrast, Ru/ZrO₂ showed a remarkable stability in the presence of the same impurity, which is attributed to the sulfate-ion adsorption capacity of the support. Preferential sulfate adsorption onto the surface of ZrO₂ effectively protects the Ru active phase from deactivation by sulfur poisoning. A simple catalyst regeneration strategy was effective in removing adsorbed impurities, allowing efficient catalyst recycling.

SUBMITTER: Ftouni J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5575478 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature